Gerald "Jerry" Fraser, Perth’s legendary "Oyster King," joins Paul for a deep dive into resilience, life on the floor, and the art of live shucking. Jerry opens up about his 35-year journey in sobriety following a life-changing Boxing Day ultimatum, his romantic 38-year partnership with his wife Fiona, and how he pioneered WA's fresh oyster bar culture.

Jerry breaks down the differences between Australian oyster regions (from Albany Rocks to St. Helens), demonstrates the right way to shuck and taste a fresh oyster, and reflects on why true hospitality is all about human connection.

Welcome to Episode 13 of The JRNY! In this episode, we sit down with customer service expert, author, and speaker Chris Smoje to break down what it truly takes to create a customer-first mindset in business today. Whether you're an entrepreneur, executive, or leader looking to transform your team's culture and elevate customer retention, Chris shares actionable strategies on service leadership, human connection, and operational excellence.🔥 WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:• Why customer service is a culture, not just a department• The biggest mistakes businesses make when handling customer experience• How leaders can empower teams to deliver exceptional service consistently• Practical tips to turn standard service interactions into long-term customer loyalty

In this insightful episode of The JRNY, Paul sits down with property investor and community advocate Tyler Wood for a candid, wide-ranging conversation about how personal history, professional strategy, and local community engagement intersect.

Tyler shares his foundational experiences growing up after his parents separated, reflecting on how navigating that environment taught him how to read situations and ultimately shaped his career path. Moving beyond his personal story, Tyler digs into his philosophy as a property investor - emphasising that true success in business isn't just about money, but about fostering a strong community, aligning outcomes with local needs, and taking real ownership of local development projects.

The conversation also tackles broader socio-political and economic dynamics, from the intricacies of rebranding local initiatives to critical commentary on how global corporations operate in Australia. Tyler doesn't hold back as he voices his concerns over global companies capitalising on public infrastructure without returning proportional value to the local populace, citing public campaigns like Punter Politics as essential avenues for holding systems accountable.

Whether discussing high-density development around train stations, the social habits that balance a work-hard mentality, or the responsibility investors have to the towns they build in, Tyler offers a transparent look at what it means to be a modern property professional driven by purpose over profit.

Key Discussion Points In This Episode:

- Formative Years: How early childhood experiences and slipping through the cracks taught Tyler the resilience and adaptability that define him today.

- The Power of Community & Purpose: Why money isn't the primary driver for Tyler, and how genuine care for community outcomes creates sustainable success.

- Rebranding and Ownership: A look at Tyler's work in the City of Bayswater and the fundamental truth that local infrastructure needs community engagement and ownership to succeed.

- The Mechanics of High-Density Property Investing: Navigating multi-year option contracts, partnering with local families, and advocating for density around transit hubs.

- Corporate Accountability & Global Elites: A critical discussion on how global companies leverage Australian infrastructure and why figures like the creator of Punter Politics are necessary to highlight systemic imbalances.

"Authority isn’t inherited; it’s earned on the warehouse floor."

In Episode 11 of The JRNY Podcast, Paul sits down with long-term friend Trent Brisset, Managing Director of Auslink WA, for a raw, unfiltered masterclass in accountability, resilience, and business transformation.

Trent openly details his roller-coaster transition from an entitled, self-described "wild" young supervisor in his 20s to leading a multi-generational family enterprise. After climbing the ranks offshore as a deep-water cementer for global giants like Halliburton and Schlumberger, Trent hit absolute rock bottom - a path that eventually led him to prison.

While the rest of the world was ready to write him off, his father saw his true potential and offered him a final lifeline: a spot at the very bottom of the family’s 31-year-old business.

Trent didn’t step into the executive suite. He started as a warehouse picker, unloading shipping containers, driving delivery trucks, and sorting through administrative paperwork. By mastering every single role from the ground up, he uncovered the massive operational leaks, structural blind spots, and redundancies that a high-level corporate view would have completely missed.Once he understood the engine, he completely overhauled the blueprint. Trent stepped into a business that was still processing sales via paper and fax machines and transformed it into a technology-driven powerhouse. He confronted systemic entitlement, cut out operational inefficiencies, and ultimately scaled the company by 200% to 300% over the last five years.

Paul and Trent strip away the standard corporate facade to talk about what running a high-growth business actually costs. They discuss navigating complex father-son dynamics, the psychological weight of sleepless nights, learning to appreciate the silent sacrifices of a partner at home, and why radical vulnerability is the ultimate asset for a modern leader.

Key Topics Covered in This Episode:

- The Illusion of Invincibility: Making million-dollar mistakes offshore, getting run off oil rigs, and navigating the brutal realities of a high-leverage work culture.

- The Reality Check of Rock Bottom: How hitting the clink forced a total baseline reset, stripped away entitlement, and built a foundation of true maturity.

- The Succession Strategy: Why coming in as "the boss’s son" fails, and why starting from scratch is the only way to build authentic operational authority.

- The Tech Revolution: Overhauling a legacy family business by replacing faxes and pen-and-paper with advanced, niche warehouse and sales management software.

- The Hidden Architecture of Support: The vital role of a spouse, the heavy cost of business distraction on family life, and learning to value the work happening behind the scenes at home.

- The Psychology of the Ladder Rung: Overcoming founder guilt, learning how to effectively delegate, and building a high-trust culture where mistakes are met with collaborative problem-solving instead of blame.

Connect with The JRNY:

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#TheJRNY #TrentBrissard #AuslinkWA #BusinessSuccession #ExtremeOwnership #FamilyEnterprise #ScaleUp #LeadershipDevelopment #PerthBusiness #Resilience #FounderMindset

In this episode of THE JRNY, Paul sits down with Gordon to explore a life defined by radical change, deep introspection, and the search for authentic purpose. Gordon discusses his transition from a high-stress career background to a spontaneous, life-altering move across the world.

Key discussion points include:

• Healing from Long-Term Trauma: Gordon reveals how he carried the weight of his sister’s death for 20 years, believing she was murdered before discovering the truth that it was an overdose.
• The Role of Psychedelics: Paul and Gordon discuss using psychedelics for "inner work," which helped Gordon release the need for external validation and process long-held mental burdens.
• A Spontaneous Leap to Australia: Driven by a realization during a psychedelic experience, Gordon explains why he deleted his social media, booked a flight, and moved to Australia without a plan to rediscover himself.
• A Diverse Career Path: The conversation covers Gordon's eclectic background, including his time as a soldier, a correctional officer, an oil field truck driver, and a professional wrestler in Thailand.
• Redefining Purpose through Service: Gordon shares how his perspective shifted from working for stability to finding genuine fulfilment through teaching and helping others.

In this episode of THE JRNY, host Paul Cohalan sits down with Tim Keogh, founder of Empyrean Build, to discuss his journey from a carpentry apprentice in country Victoria to leading a luxury building company in Perth. They delve into the critical importance of relationships - both with family and professional contractors - and how a strong work ethic forms the foundation of any successful venture. Tim shares candid insights into the strategic decisions that kept his business afloat during the pandemic, including the rare move of closing his books to ensure existing project quality.

Key Discussion Points:

- Career Beginnings: Tim recounts how helping a neighbor with a sliding door led to his first building job and launched his company in 2018.

- Pandemic Strategy: Discussion on why Tim chose to "shut the books" and stop marketing during the COVID-19 building boom to avoid overextension and protect his reputation.

- Operational Excellence: Insights into managing a team, including leveraging remote estimators in the Philippines for repetitive tasks while keeping core roles local in Perth.

- Work-Life Balance and Routine: The role of a 4:30 AM routine, gym sessions, and ice baths in maintaining mental clarity and staying ahead of the demands of running a business.

- Resilience Under Pressure: Tim shares the harrowing experience of his fully loaded truck catching fire just days before a major project on Rottnest Island and how he navigated the logistical fallout.

- Family and Values: The influence of Tim’s builder father and the support of his wife in shaping his professional standards and personal drive.

Paul sits down with Darcy Lowe to explore her unconventional path from a "privileged" upbringing in an all-girls school to the gritty, disciplined world of amateur kickboxing and Muay Thai. Darcy shares the raw details of her formative years spent living and working in Europe with zero financial safety net, and how those moments of survival built the resilience she carries today.

Key Discussion Points Include:

• The Power of Risk: Packing one suitcase for Europe at 22 and eventually landing a restaurant management role in Amsterdam with her last few dollars.
• Identity and Combat Sports: Discovering kickboxing at 23, navigating the psychological weight of an early loss, and finding a voice through striking and martial arts.
• Resilience Through Injury: Managing a major setback after a physical injury and the mental challenge of questioning her identity when she couldn't train.
• Building a Personal Brand: Overcoming the "cringe" of social media to inspire other women and launching her own female-only kickboxing retreats in Bali.
• The Philosophy of the Journey: Embracing the process of growth rather than focusing solely on the end goal, and the importance of self-reflection and vulnerability.

Join us for a conversation about why "speed trumps perfection" and how taking ownership of your own space is the ultimate form of self-love.

In this powerful episode, Paul sits down with Mo (Maurice) - Mauritian-Australian community builder, psychologist, exercise physiologist, and strategic lead at Happiness Co Foundation - for one of the most honest conversations we've had on the show.Mo shares his full journey: growing up on a chicken farm in Canning River, running away from school because he couldn't speak English, becoming WA Aerobics Champion, pivoting through multiple redundancies and hitting rock bottom at 50 - fetal position on his bedroom floor, a plan ready to end his life.And how he came back from it.In this episode we cover:→ Growing up as a first-generation Mauritian-Australian and the language barrier that shaped him→ The sliding door moments he stepped through - and the one he didn't (and why it didn't matter)→ His "Harvard MBA" - 5 years in a business partnership that nearly broke him→ Micro traumas, burnout, and what happened when he landed his dream role at 50→ Suicide ideation, depression, and the road back→ Why "busy" is just avoidance in disguise→ The ABC model: Attitude, Behaviour, Consequence→ Momentum Revolution - the men's workshop changing lives→ Happiness Co Foundation, Moving Mountains (Everest Base Camp fundraiser), and the Road to Happiness Tour→ What it really means to hold space AND energy for someoneWhether you're a business owner, leader, or just a human going through it - this one will hit."What if it happened FOR us, not TO us?"🎙️ Roadblocks, Risks & Resilience PodcastConnect with Mo: @mo_thespiritlevelConnect with Happiness Co Foundation: https://happinesscofoundation.com/#MentalHealth #Resilience #Leadership #BusinessPodcast #Podcast #SuicidePrevention #HappinessCo #PerthPodcast

In Episode 6 of The JRNY Podcast, Paul sits down with Michael McHugh from Signarama to unpack the real story behind building multiple sign installation businesses across Perth. Michael shares how he got started, the setbacks he had to push through, and the lessons that came from taking real risks in business. The conversation covers what it actually looks like to be an entrepreneur in 2026, how the landscape has changed, and what it takes to keep moving when the pressure is high. This is a grounded conversation about business ownership, resilience, calculated risk, and the journey behind long-term success. Subscribe to JRNY Podcast for more real conversations with builders, operators, and business owners.

In Episode 5 of the JRNY Podcast, Paul Cohalan sits down with Tegan Larkins, founder of Talent Mining & Minerals and host of The Mining Mum Podcast, for a conversation about leadership, resilience, and building a career in the mining industry while raising a family.Tegan shares her journey through the mining sector, working her way up from utilities roles to leadership positions including Supervisor, Coordinator, and Superintendent. Along the way she discovered a passion for people, team culture, and helping businesses find the right talent.As a proud mum of two, Tegan also speaks openly about balancing motherhood with the demands of the mining industry and why more women — especially mothers — have an important role to play in shaping its future.This episode explores:• Building a career in the mining industry from the ground up• The realities of being a working mum in a demanding industry• Leadership lessons from managing teams in mining• Why culture and people are the foundation of strong businesses• Supporting diversity and opportunity for women in miningA powerful conversation about career growth, leadership, and the evolving role of women and mothers in the mining industry.Watch or listen to the JRNY Podcast:https://thejrny.au/Subscribe to the JRNY Podcast.